Welcome! Mish here as your host for Haibun Monday where we marry prose and haiku into a poetic form popularized by Japanese poet, Matsuo Basho.

With all that is challenging and disheartening in the world these days, I think it is imperative to find sources of happiness, hope and love. At the very least, we can reflect on memories that brought us joy. One event that is sure to rejuvenate our hearts is a wedding.

Why is it that when we witness two people joining together, exchanging their vows of commitment, our spirits are lifted? First off, we are escaping the mundane to enter a venue of beautiful sights and sounds. Observing this union reminds us of our own dreams and promises. We are also celebrating in new beginnings which fosters hope. We reconnect with loved ones and become part of a collective, positive energy. Cheers to that!

Here is one perspective on the big day…

WEDDING VOWS by Richard Matta

Gusts pull neckties like nooses, lift skirts, yank maple leaves from trees. We look out at our assembled families and friends. The stories we know too well. The big plans before mortgages, fancy cars, Disney cruises, tutors, Ivy league prep schools, a forgotten vow or two. How take-out became the dinner of the week. How they replay their histories in the dreams they have for us.

We look at our small live-aboard boat. The little engine putters, waiting for us, the halyard clinks with the sounds of freedom at the end of the narrow dock.

new start

the fortune cookie

for the birds

www.contemporaryhaibunonline.com

Some wedding haiku for inspiration:

Wedding (Haiku)

Nature’s beauty bows

when exchanged vows radiate

pure love in their eyes

Jim Norausky – poemhunter.com

Wedding: Haiku

Two fluttering hearts

Sunlight gleams on a gold band

A Springtime wedding

Jim Milks – poemhunter.com

For this week’s haibun challenge, I’d like you to reflect on a wedding. It could be yours, the wedding of friends, family or even a wedding you observed from a distance.

New to the haibun? Your haibun should include a concise piece of prose, no more than three paragraphs, preceded or followed by a nature based, seasonal haiku. The prose is usually non-fiction/autobiographical and written in present tense. The haiku is a whisper, perhaps another layer deepening the meaning of the prose.

Bring us the details. Bring us the love!

Here’s how to join in:

• Write a haibun in response to the prompt and post it on your blog or website.
• Click on Mr. Linky. Add your name and direct link to your work.
• Kindly add a link to dVerse so others can find us.
• Click on the links to other poets to read and comment. Come back again as the Haibun prompt is open all week.
• Drop into the pub to say hello.